NAUGHTY CHOCOCO

by antigonexxi

Many thanks to The Old Wolf for the translation work!

Version française ici

I admit my last post was not very nice.

I talked about three little sisters, and then, bam! I left you hanging without introducing the youngest, and then I said “tomorrow,” and then I made you wait a little longer than you thought I would. I was a bit more generous with the clue I left you, however; if that didn’t pique your curiosity, it must simply be that Nutella has already fried your neurons!

Rest assured, however, your wait has not been in vain – I saved the best for last. As I explained, the youngest is a bit naughty and she was doing her shy bit. I will make amends by introducing you to Chococo:

Like her big sisters, Chococo is a raw spread, consisting of only four ingredients, very simple to make and extremely tasty. Note that this is the second time I’ve mentioned coconut butter on this blog, and I hope to convince you to get started as quickly as possible – once tasted, you won’t be able to live without it!

* * *

Chococo

* * *

Makes a 330 ml. or 11 oz. jar

Ingredients :

  • 15 dates (about 90 g. or 3 oz.)*
  • 150 g. [2 cups] of grated coconut
  • 60 ml. [4 Tbsp] agave syrup (raw if possible) or maple syrup
  • 30 g. [1/3 cup] cocoa powder (raw if possible)
  • 50 ml. [1/4 cup] water
  • (Optional) 1-2 tbsp coconut oil

* Even if dates are perfect here, you can substitute other dried fruit of your choice: : 1. classic : banana / apricot / fig ; 2. exotic version : papaya / mango.

As with Choconette and Camarande, do not forget to rehydrate your dates in water 1 to 2 hours in advance, then drain well.

Preparation :

      1. Prepare your coconut butter: Place your shredded coconut in the bowl of a food processor and blend until you get a creamy texture. You can add 1-2 tbsp coconut oil to help the butter to ‘take’. Don’t hesitate to stop the machine to scrape the sides and put the future butter back onto the blades.
      2. Don’t stop until you have obtained a really creamy texture (depending on the size of your blender, double the proportion of coconut to be sure that the butter is formed: it will then store well in the refrigerator and can be used in many other recipes – if you don’t devour it immediately with a spoon.
      3. Once your butter is ready, add all the other ingredients in the blender and vroom!, blend!


In the end, you get a little beauty.

A beauty who is a little less shy now … and who is the pride of her mother!

I would add that this spread, as with her two older sisters, will keep for about one month in the refrigerator. Don’t forget to remove it to soften before serving because, even more than the others, it will tend to stiffen when cool because of the coconut butter. I will let you taste it and then banish the word ‘Nutella’ from your vocabulary.

Ah, yes, one last mention of the word terrible … After posting my previous article, two questions were asked of me, and I’d like to share the answers here:

– The first question: “Can I make several jars at once?”

Yes, if you are very hungry creatures and you are ready to devour everything in less than a month. In this case, don’t worry! It may even be more convenient to double the proportion of the triplets if you have a large mixing bowl and want to get a really creamy texture. However, if you use a less powerful blender or a small stand mixer, then opt for smaller amounts (and I’m not even sure that a small device will allow you to make coconut butter. I haven’t tried it, and I put it to my readers!)

– Second question: “Is it much more expensive than Nutella?

I admit that I am very bad with these matters, because when I cook, I do not calculate costs. On top of that, I haven’t eaten Nutella in ages, so I’m not the best person to compare prices, especially since prices vary between organic stores and countries. However, I went to fishing my receipts out of the wastebasket and looked up information on the internet. Here are my rough calculations:

  • agave 7 € / kg -> € 0.48 per spread
  • cocoa powder (not raw): 4 € / 250 g. -> € 0.48
  • carob powder (not raw): 3.5 € / 250 g. -> € 0.42 [ but on sale for 2 € at the moment at Jean Hervé!]
  • hazelnut paste: 14 € / 700 g. -> € 2.50
  • almond paste: 9 € / 700 g. -> € 1.60
  • grated coconut € 5/500 g. -> € 1.5
  • Dates: 8 € / kg -> € 0.72

So here’s what it cost to get 330 g. of spread:

  • Choconette : € 4.12
  • Camarande : 3.16 €
  • Chococo : € 3.12

For comparison, a pot of 220 g. of Nutella costs € 2.02 at Monoprix or € 3.03 for 330 g. So yes, our house versions are slightly more expensive, but do not forget that we are dealing with an organic product! As for the raw version, sorry: I was lazy and had no way of finding any receipts. I invite you to do the math yourself by checking in raw food stores. Let’s compare organic spreads, calculating for jars of similar size (330 g.)

  • Chocolinette (Noiseraie Productions): 5.99 €
  • Chokénut (Noiseraie Productions): 5.28 €
  • Chocolade (Jean Hervé): € 5.19
  • Karouba (Jean Hervé): € 4.85
  • Hazelnut paste (Perlamande): 5.45 €

So we come to the following conclusion: for identical quality, the triplets are cheaper than commercial spreads. In the end, you are at choice and can stay with Nutella, but I tell you freely that even if my spreads were two to three times more expensive than Nutella, I’d stick with the homemade version! I had fun doing these little calculations, but for me, the health of my body and that of the planet has no price.

What are your priorities when you purchase a product?

Laisser un commentaire

5 comments

Sofia Sterzi 2 septembre 2013 - 0 h 31 min

I planned to do this recipe for a long time, last week I got the ingredients and today I finally did it! 🙂 I was not able to make the coconut butter get creamy… I only got the mix to get a bit more moisturized… I guess my blender can’t take it… I tried and tried until I got worried for my blender. I didn’t have coconut oil. but I put the other ingredients and worried again for my blender, but it was brave and took it, and I got the mix to get very creamy. Lovely! So for me it was an adventure, but it was worth it. Thank you for sharing the recipes, from São Paulo.

Reply
Antigone XXI 4 septembre 2013 - 15 h 29 min

Thanks for your feedback Sofia ! I’m glad you kept trying and it finally worked! 😉

Reply
narf77 4 février 2014 - 0 h 38 min

Cost is definitely an issue but there is more to « cost » than just hitting your hip pocket. A healthy recipe like this might initially cost you more at the checkout but when you factor in your health and the cost to the environment of unsustainable factory production on a mass scale, these gorgeous spreads are worth their weight in gold :). Cheers for sharing your most incredible and inventive recipes 🙂

Reply
Antigone XXI 4 février 2014 - 18 h 58 min

I totally agree with you ! I made this little calculation to answer a question, but I honestly think that eating organic definitely worths the little extra money !

Reply
Antigone XXI 7 février 2014 - 18 h 43 min

Ho ho, quelle sadisme ! J’espère que vous en referez vite, histoire qu’elle puisse en profiter ! 😉

Reply